These 15 Delicious Dishes Prove Mexican Food Isn’t All Tacos and Burritos
Ready to discover some traditional Mexican foods?
You’re in the right place and with the right guide, as I’ve lived in Mexico since 2018, and know the cuisine well.
In this article, I’m going to show you 15 traditional Mexican foods that every foodie should know about — and try!
While most people only know Mexican foods like tacos, burritos and nachos, authentic Mexican cuisine goes FAR beyond those three options.
Ready to discover some of the best lesser-known Mexican foods like tlayudas, tlacoyos and more!? Let’s get to it!
1. Mole Poblano: The National Dish of Mexico
Without a doubt, one of the best things to eat in Mexico is mole (pronounced moe-lay).
Mole is both a marinade and a Mexican sauce. It can be eaten on its own or with many different types of dishes, like enmoladas, which are enchiladas covered in mole sauce.
Mole is made from various spices, dried fruits, nuts, and even chocolate, so not all Mexican moles are the same.
Some moles have up to 30 ingredients, though 12-15 is more common. A rich, flavorful dish, mole can take days to prepare and cook.
Mole is most associated with the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, though as the national dish of Mexico, it’s also made in other states.
There are seven moles of Oaxaca: Mole negro, mole poblano, mole verde, mole amarillo, mole coloradito, mole manchamantel and mole chichilo.
Some types of mole are spicier than others, while some are actually very sweet.
Depending on the dish you’re eating and the region you’re in, you can try a variety of mole in Mexico.
In fact, if you do one of the popular food tours in Oaxaca, you’ll likely taste several types of mole.
2. Chile en Nogada: The Other National Dish of Mexico
With such a rich food culture, there wasn’t enough room for just one. That’s right — Mexico has two national dishes (according to some sources).
One is available year-round, mole, while the other, chile en nogada, is often only made around Mexican Independence Day on September 16.
Chile en nogada is one of the most unusual, yet most delicious Mexican foods.
A patriotic dish that’s usually only available around the Mexico Independence Day holiday, the green, white and red colors mirror the colors of the Mexican flag.
The dish consists of a giant, non-spicy poblano chili pepper that’s stuffed with a meat and fruit picadillo hash. This savory and sweet combo works perfectly!
The stuffed pepper is sometimes lightly battered and sometimes not, and is then topped with a walnut-based cream sauce, parsley and pomegranate seeds.
The origins of chile en nogada are unknown, but some say it was invented by nuns at a Puebla, Mexico convent to impress an important general visiting town.
However, José Luis Juárez López of Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology & History says it was made before this.
One thing is certain though, the chile en nogada comes from Puebla.
3. Barbacoa: Mexican BBQ
In English, barbacoa means “barbecue.” It has a delicious taste, though keep in mind that Mexican barbacoa differs from American BBQ.
For example, there’s no BBQ sauce or dry spice rub — it is taken just as seriously as in United States BBQ meccas like Texas, Tennessee and Kansas City.
Central Mexican barbacoa is often made with borrego (sheep), but there are other variations throughout the country.
These include barbacoa de res (beef barbacoa) which is common in Chiapas State, and barbacoa de chivo (goat barbacoa) common in Puebla State and some other places.
The place most associated with traditional Mexican barbacoa is Hidalgo State. Many say Hidalgo is where you’ll get the best barbacoa in Mexico.
Being just a few hours from Mexico City, you can also get Hidalgo-style barbacoa there. Often, barbacoa chefs make the food in Hidalgo and drive it over to Mexico City.
Much like BBQ in America, barbacoa in Mexico is a weekend food — but this doesn’t just mean barbacoa is only eaten on the weekends.
It is also often only available on weekends, because traditional barbacoa recipes can take nearly all week to make.
Many eat their barbacoa tacos with a side of soup broth called consome (consommé).
In Mexico, this is a breakfast or brunch meal because tacos de barbacoa and consome is a well known hangover cure — and a great way to sober up fast!
4. Pozole Soup
When it comes to the best Mexican soups and most traditional foods from Mexico, pozole (pronounced po-zo-lay) is a clear winner.
Traditional Mexican pozole is made with hominy and meat, and cooked in broth. Then, plenty of spices are added in, such as garlic, cumin, chili powder, and more.
Pozole has a spicy, rich taste to it, and can even be made vegetarian with beans instead of meat.
You can garnish your pozole with different things like diced white onion, lime juice, avocado, shredded lettuce, radishes, chili powder and dried oregano. It is often served with tostadas on the side.
There are three different types of pozole: red, green and white.
- Pozole blanco (white) doesn’t have any added green or red chilis
- Pozole verde (green) is made by adding tomatillos (green tomatoes) and green chilis to the broth
- Pozole rojo (red) has red chilis, like chili ancho and chili piquín, in the broth
The stew is pre-colonial, and dates all the way back to the 1300s, and has Aztec origins.
Today, pozole is popular all throughout Mexico, and is eaten as a regular dish, but also on holidays as a festive meal, like these other Mexican Christmas and holiday foods.
5. Tlayudas
Tlayudas (pronounced tuh-lie-you-dahs) are the quintessential and best street food in Oaxaca, a state in Southern Mexico.
If you find yourself in Oaxaca City or on the beaches of Oaxaca, you shouldn’t leave without trying one (or three!) from street vendors or local restaurants.
Like many Mexican foods, tlayudas start with a tortilla; in this case, a giant, dinner plate-sized tortilla.
As the tortilla heats on the cooking comal, a thin layer of pureed bean paste and stringy Oaxaca cheese get added.
After cooking, it’s topped with veggies and folded up. You can leave it with just beans, cheese and veggies, or add meat.
The most popular options are chorizo (red sausage), tasajo (salted, cured beef), and cecina (salted, cured pork).
Though a traditional Oaxaca street food, you’ll also find tlayudas at many of the best restaurants in Oaxaca.
Still, the best place to try an authentic tlayuda in Mexico is Oaxaca State, at local markets or from street vendors.
6. Cochinita Pibil: Slow-Cooked Pork
Mexican food is a true expression of the local culture and a great source of pride, having earned a UNESCO World Heritage designation.
The cuisine in Mexico is very regional depending on what is available to be sourced locally.
Among the best foods in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, cochinita pibil (suckling pig) is not only typical to the region, but one of the world’s most traditional food dishes.
You can get it outside of the peninsula, but this is definitely a Yucatan food, as all the ingredients come from there.
🐷 What is cochinita pibil?
Cochinita pibil is a slow roasted pork that’s cooked in the juice of the naranja agria (sour orange, also called sour seville orange), which grows wild in Yucatán.
It has a more bitter taste than a regular orange, but this makes it perfect for a sour marinade.
The traditional cochinita pibil recipe also calls for achiote (annatto seeds powder), which gives the dish its reddish color.
To cook, the meat is wrapped in banana leaves, then slow-roasted in an underground oven called a pib — hence the “pib” in cochinita pibil.
7. Aguachile
Aguachile, which means “water chili,” is said to have been created on the West Coast of Mexico.
Though it originates in places including the Baja California Peninsula and Sinaloa state (home to the beach town of Mazatlan), you can now find it in most Mexican coastal cities.
One of the tastiest Mexican seafood dishes, traditional Mexican aguachile is a cousin to ceviche, in that it’s a seafood dish served cold.
Like ceviche, the shrimp is “denatured” in a mixture of lime juice and/or lemon juice, chili peppers, salt, cilantro and more.
It is served on a plate with slices of cucumber, sometimes raw onion, and a lot of chili.
8. Cabrito: Roasted Goat
Cabrito (goat) and tacos de cabrito (roasted goat tacos) are seldom found outside of North Mexico.
For those visiting this region, make sure to try these in the northern cities of Monterrey, Mexico, or nearby Santiago pueblo magico (magic town).
These beloved tacos norteños (North Mexico tacos) can be cooked several ways.
The most popular is cabrito al pastor, where the meat is slow cooked with indirect heat over a bed of charcoal.
This is the same method that’s been used for centuries, which produces a juicy, flavorful meat.
When served, you’ll get a large plate of cabrito meat with tortillas and condiments on the side to make your own tacos cabritos.
9. Tortas Ahogadas: Drowned Sandwiches
All Mexican food is regional, and while the torta (sandwich) is a typical food across the country, you’ll find different tortas in different parts of Mexico.
The torta ahogada, which means “drowned torta,” is common in the state of Jalisco, particularly around its capital city of Guadalajara.
Similar to a French dip sandwich, tortas ahogadas are “drowned” in salsa, and you may want to eat them with a knife and fork.
They consist of a filling, usually fried pork, chicken, cheese or beans, Guadalajara’s birote salado bread, and they’re lastly covered in salsa roja (red salsa).
I also tried the famous tortijolada from Carnes Asadas don Ramón in Mercado de Abastos Guadalajara. These yummy tortas ahogadas are “drowned” in a bean sauce.
10. Tlacoyos
Tlacoyos are one of the best foods from Mexico City, and really only something you’ll find sold on the streets.
This is a Mexico City street foods staple, which has a history that dates back even before the Aztecs.
Tlacoyos (pronounced tla-coy-yos), are not only one of the best traditional street foods in Mexico City, but one of the oldest Mexican antojitos still enjoyed today!
Antojitos, meaning “little cravings,” refers to Mexican street snacks or appetizers.
Made with blue or yellow masa (cornmeal dough), the football-shaped tortilla of the tlacoyos is much thicker than a taco tortilla.
Vendors stuff the dough with any combination of pinto or fava beans, potatoes, chicharron (pork rinds), and a creamy Mexican cheese called requesón.
They are then dry-fried on large griddles, so the outside of the crisps, while the inside stays soft and doughy — the key factor to its deliciousness.
Toppings most commonly added include nopal (cactus), onions, cilantro, crumbled cheese, and, of course, salsa.
11. Tamales
A tamal, spelled tamale in English, is a traditional Mexican dish that’s often served from street vendors at the side of roads.
Early in the morning in Mexico City, you will often find rows of people lining up to grab themselves a tamal before heading out to work.
Tamales are made from masa, the same maize dough also used to make corn tortillas. The masa mixture is then wrapped in a corn husk or banana leaf, and steamed.
The leaf then acts as a plate for eating the tamales.
Tamales are the ultimate Mexican comfort food and come in a wide variety of flavors and can be filled with meats, cheeses or vegetables.
When planning your Mexico City itinerary, make sure to try a tamale verde, which is covered in a rich, green chili salsa.
12. Carnitas: Mexican Pork Confit
Carnitas meat is essentially fried pork confit — meaning the pork is cooked in its own fat and lard.
While no one’s saying this is healthy, it certainly is delicious, and it’s one of the most beloved types of taco meat.
Some call carnitas the traditional Mexican food equivalent of pulled pork, because the meat is fried in large chunks and then shredded after cooking.
Pork shoulder is the most used cut, as its high fat content produces the best carnitas. This pork preparation is most associated with the state of Michoacan, Mexico.
There, the meat is cooked in a large cazo de cobre copper pot over an open flame.
Copper craftsmen in Michoacan have handmade these pots for centuries, and they’re said to enhance the flavor of the carnitas.
The best copper pots for carnitas are said to come from Santa Clara del Cobre, Michoacan. This is one of the Mexico pueblos magicos (magic towns).
13. Pescado Zarandeado
Love smoked and barbecued fish? Pescado zarandeado (or, “shaken fish”) is one of the best Mexican dishes for seafood lovers.
It is especially popular on the Mexico Pacific Coast, in places like Puerto Vallarta, Sayulita and Sinaloa State.
Pescado zarandeado can be made with several types of fish, from snapper to sea bass.
The fish is split lengthwise, then slathered in a mixture of mayo, Maggi sauce (a Mexican cooking staple), various chilis, onions, garlic and more, and then either grilled or baked.
14. Chilaquiles
One of the best traditional Mexican foods you can have is chilaquiles (pronounced chill-uh-key-les).
Chilaquiles are a traditional breakfast dish that originated in Central Mexico hundreds of years ago. What makes this dish so great is that it can be prepared in many ways.
You can order chilaquiles with salsa roja (red salsa), salsa verde (green salsa), or both, and even mole.
It is often made with day-old totopos (tortilla chips), so the chips soak up all the salsa; though some places use fresh totopos.
🤔 If you’re wondering, What are totopos in Mexico? Totopos are just fried tortilla chips.
In Mexico, when you want a basket of chips for the table, which isn’t always the norm as it is in U.S.-Mexican restaurants, you’d ask for totopos.
Traditional Mexican chilaquiles come with just chips and your choice of salsa. From there, you can add eggs, or a meat of your choice.
They are topped with sour cream, crumbled cheese, slices of white onion, and sometimes a cilantro garnish.
15. Birria
In Mexican slang, birria basically means “something of low value.” In the case of tacos de birria, they definitely aren’t!
In fact, these are among the most comforting of all tacos in Mexico, and some of the best tacos in Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara and other places in Jalisco State.
Birria is a stew, traditionally made with goat, though you can sometimes find beef birria.
It is slow-cooked and seasoned with quintessential Mexican spices, like adobo, onion and garlic.
Birria stew is served in a bowl with warm tortillas on the side, for you to make your own tacos.
It can also come served as a taco, with meat, diced white onion, cilantro and salsa.
When you get a birria taco, the tortilla will usually be dipped in the red-colored stew liquid before serving.
This turns the tortilla red, and is why you’ll sometimes see birria tacos called “red tacos.”